November 29, 1973 (Letter from Renee)

Thanks so much for your letter, it was delightful to hear from you once again, and I am very glad that we can still keep in touch.  I did receive a letter from you earlier in the fall, but with school starting and all the work that piled up I haven't spent much time in corresponding to anyone.

Everything is fine with us.  I am busy with my teaching and Morrey is working and he's going to finish up his associate (2 year) degree in a few weeks, of which I am very  very proud.  Aside from that we have been taking bridge lessons, but being the klutz that I am I can't seem to play bridge without my 14 pages of class notes -- which leaves room for little else at the bridge table.  We've just finished the beginning bridge course and in February we'll take the advanced course.  Our house is all settled now and my basement is completely finished with carpeting and everything.  It has become "my living room" since I spend all my time down here working at my desk.  Once school started in the fall I had to give up all my grandiose plans for decorating until next summer when I'll have time to burn.

I love teaching and I really feel comfortable in my job now.  I've begun to explore different methods and new lessons to work on since I can't stand to do the same old thing in the same old way year after year.  I have a heavy load of 6 classes with 169 students and it takes me forever to grade any kind of composition work even though I fell that this is an area that needs a great deal of work at the 8th grade level.  The longer I teach the more things I seem to take on and find to do -- but I guess that's what really keeps me going and keeps my mind working.  I am just about ready to decide to go back to grad school this summer to see if I can't pick up some new ideas and materials.  One thing about teaching is that it is never boring and there never seems to be enough hours in the day to complete all the tasks I assign myself.  I am very lucky though Paul, because Morrey and I have very little time together during the week and we really cherish the weekends when we can get reacquainted.  We have a good number of friends here in Columbus now but Morrey and I prefer to be close friends with a very select few and we're not the big party types at all anymore.  I guess I could safely say that I'm very happy with my life as it is right now.  I'm the kind of person that has to set goals for myself and have something to look forward to no matter how small the occasion or how large.  Without the future to look forward to I am lost.  That sounds kind of dumb, but that's the way I am.

We went to Chicago last week to my brother's for Thanksgiving and my parents went with us.  It really bothers me Paul cause I see my parents getting older, and now that my dad is retired I really worry about them, not financially, but I worry cause they seem to me to be kind of "beaten" down by their circumstances.  With my grandfather living with them they have very little social life and they are quite bored -- yet there aren't many choices or options open to them.  They can't just pack up and go exploring places they've always wanted to see because they have a strong obligation to take care of my grandfather.  My parents literally live for the times when they can see us -- yet I can't hep thinking that there has got to be more to life and living than just that itself.  I guess I can't solve the problem for them, but I can really see the effects of all the years with my grandfather working on them, and I really get depressed.

We haven't formalized any plans yet for Xmas vacation.  Morrey will have a long 4 day weekend over Xmas but with the gas shortage and all that I'm not sure whether we'll make the trip to PA.  Aside from being able to see my friends for a little visit at Xmas time there isn't much that Warren has to offer for us, and Morrey and I aren't too anxious to spend 4 days sitting around on our asses with nothing to do but twiddle our thumbs.  So, at this time I'm not too sure about any plans that we'll be making.  Pittsburgh is only a 3 hr ride from Columbus Paul, do you think you could come here for a short while over winter break?  We have an extra, unused bedroom which you'd be welcome to use, and we'd love to have you as our guest.

Well, I'd love to write some more but I've loads of papers sitting in front of me which I've had for 2 weeks and haven't graded yet, so I'm afraid I'll have to close for now.

Be well and take care Paul.  Write soon when you have a chance.  Let's continue to keep in touch.  "Old" friends are the best friends.

November 28, 1973 (Letter from Barb Nelson)

Hi!  Well I made it to Orlando at 9:10 on Friday.  A bus picked all the waves at the airport, and fifty screaming girls rode twenty miles to the base.  We got our barracks and I finally made it to bed by 12:00, I was dead.  Saturday we arose at 3:00 in the morning and then I really knew I was in the Navy.

Now that I have been in for six days I can say that it's hard work, but I will make it through basics.  Everything we do has to be precise.  The reason behind this is to see how well we follow instructions. But at 0600 it is hard to think let alone follow orders.

There are fifty girls in our company with ten cubicles and five-eight girls in a cube.  We get along fairly good, but you always have bad days, like today.  We couldn't march worth shit.  Can you see me marching to classes, mess, everywhere?  I even went to church on Sunday.  It was unbelievable.  Everybody clapped, put their arms around each other, and cheered.  But it was a religious ceremony.  I enjoyed myself and plan to attend church every Sunday.

We had our shots and my arms were sore, the food is fair and I am an ice cream freak now, also the girls in my company are fantastic.  We get along tremendously.

Sure we get screamed at, we have to stand at attention, do a lot of petty shit that wouldn't apply to ordinary life; but I'm looking ahead to the final outcome.  I hope to travel all over!!  I know that I can apply myself and I will, but right now I have to work as a company.  I'm trying to keep out of trouble.  I'll have to learn to discipline myself for now.  I'll be out in nine weeks.

I won't be home for Xmas and right now I don't plan on coming home after graduation.  I want to go to my school right away.  I would like to save my vacation for some other time.

By the way, I graduate Feb 1, so I have awhile to go.

I'm getting along, I'm fine, and I'm glad I'm out of Warren.  The only reason I want to go back to Warren is to see Mom and Dad.  But everytime I say that and I do go back we don't talk about anything important.  So maybe it I go out in the world and get on my own, and then after an extended period of time came back to re-establish a firm relationship with Mom and Dad.  I can say I miss my family, but I'm not homesick.

Write back soon.

November 8, 1973 (Letter from Leslie)

Greetings!  I just reread your letter and I will just let my comments ramble on.  The anticipation of receiving this letter was much worse than the actual letter, but I had reached a point where I did not care what you did, but that went away last night when I was making homemade peanut butter -- I started thinking about you and your peanut butter and realized that no matter what was going to happen between us, my overriding feeling was that of fondness.

I am still confused as to what I am to you as I have not been members of your triangles, but always it seems, something separate.  You were to me first a friend because you never seemed to want a physical relationship and I decided long ago that I wanted you as a friend aside from a lover, even though I am sexually attracted to you.  So your actions when you visited me in May and when I visited you in September have me confused as to what our relationship means to you.

I have always envisioned myself with friends male and female, but having only one lover.  I have trouble handling more than one at a time.  So ideally there is the man who is my friend and lover and main person (a base), and then there are my other friends, new relationships, and other activities:  two people who co-exist and do things together, but yet are separate.  Much of our past relationship has been that.  So I don't know what else to say -- I enjoy being your friend and sleeping with you and maybe we can work something out to our mutual satisfaction.  Please continue to let me know what's happening with you as there has been far too much silence in our relationship.

Moving onto a different topic -- the peanut butter I made (from the recipe I sent you) came out okay, but a little dry, needs a little more oil.  The taste is great, and the texture is chewy, chunky - you would like it.  The biggest hassle was shelling enough peanuts.

I haven't received my records from RCA yet.  They did send me the Sounds of Love from A to Zzzz, by mistake -- I didn't play it to hear what it sounded like.  So I haven't bought any albums since what I've told you about.

Last weekend I went to Washington D.C. on a chartered bus -- with a bunch of other students from the school.  We stayed in a hotel ($10.60 for two nights) but the room was OK, maybe Robin, Nancy, and I got the best room.  Went to Library of Congress -- great architecture inside the building; Folger Shakespeare Library -- has an exhibit hall and a reproduction of the Globe Theater (not to scale); Museum of History and Technology (part of the Smithsonian).  Great -- barely saw two of the four floors in an hour and a half -- had women's costumes, large section of film with modern, silent, and a put-a-nickel-in-and-turn-the-crank variety; Department of Interior library -- interesting tour, they seemed glad to have us visit; and National Library of Medicine -- the tour guide liked his job and the library was impressive.  I really liked DC's personality and look forward to going there again -- there is so much to do and see.

Library school is okay -- I'm not as bored as you -- I've only had one test and got a B on that.  Going away the last two weekends made it nice.  The whole family may go down to NYC over Thanksgiving -- not yet definite.

That's all for now.  My birthdate is the 16th of November.  Take care of yourself.

P.S.  Re-reading your letter and thinking back to Atlantic City, there are two other things I want to ask/mention.  You mention Chris' being still upset because Judy married someone else and that you did not want this to happen to you.  What happened to you?  The risk of falling in love with someone, i.e., the fear that that person would leave you hanging?  And what is your new outlook on life and how does it concern other people -- myself in point?  Again, take care of yourself.

October 29, 1973 (Letter from Tony)

Thank you my friend, for the birthday card and the thought.  And naturally I return the thought.

It's good to hear that you are active.  It's strange, I had just begun to look for a job in order to keep myself moving.  My momentum in my classes has begun to slow, I hope to raise my excitement level by doing something more immediately gratifying than studying law.

I've been studying less of late and playing more.  My tennis game is improving slowly, my frisbee throwing was worked on today, and I've even been getting cultured.  I saw the Cleveland Quarter (artists in Residence at SUNY at Buffalo) a couple of weeks ago.  And then I saw a mechanical music concert that featured early 20th century music instruments, music boxes, calliopes, player pianos, and a piano player accompanying the film The Great Train Robbery.  It was really enjoyable. 

And then Friday I went in S. F. to get my papers served in my small claims action against the charter flight company that screwed up my Christmas flight home last year.  I guess I picked a real winner because when I gave the sheriff the papers he was to serve, he started laughing.  I thought it was over my cleverly worded statement of the case, but in reality he was laughing because the guy I'm suing is notorious.  A lot of people have been suing him and even if they win in court, there has to be some way to get the money from the guy.  And they maintain 8 bank accounts and you have to know which one your check goes into.  that's pretty discouraging, I guess I won't get my money.  Small claims court probably was a good idea when it was first set up, but today it's such a hassle to get a claim started and then get your money that most people don't even bother and these merchants, landlord, etc can get away with taking hundreds of dollars.  It's really a crummy set-up. 

Have you heard of the American Film Theater series?  It's a series of 8 plays films in N.Y. with really fine actors and actresses and then shown in theaters all over the country for 2 nights.  I'm going to see the first in the series, The Iceman Cometh.



Someday soon I'm going to start school work again.  I have a couple of papers I could be working on, but there won't be anythng urgent for awhile.  I can't wait until I'm dealing with people in real-life situations, rather than with hypotheticals.

Have you heard from Ralph?  I'm goign to try to write to him c/o Cornell Hotel Mangement School and see if I get any reply.

Well, I'm about trhough for tonight.  What are you doing over Christmas vacation?  When do you ahve yours.  I'jm flying to NYC Dec 15 and coming back Jan 5.  I'll be in Colden most of that time.

Yes, Paul, we both have been through a lot this past year.  It's like I'm riding on a roller coaster and I have some control over where and how fast I'm going.  Sometimes I'm moving along very slow.  And then I may speed up to the point that I'm just barely in control, things happen quickly and my life is on the brink of breaking down into chaos.  And then there are times, like last year, when after I've decided I can take the ride down the big drop, I go out of control, just sort of thrown back, finding it hard to breathe, and just riding it out until I hit the bottom and go around that inevitable curve that slows it down slowly so I am still in control.  If the hill isn't too big, I can take the gamble, go over and maintain myself through the excitement.  But every now and then I take a chance and end up out of control.  I feel that now I'm picking up speed after the slowdown which followed last year's precipitous delcline.  I'm eager to test where the brink is.

Good night, hang tough. 

October 29, 1973 (Letter from Mrs. Peroski)

Thanks Paul for your lovely ho-maid letter.  I really enjoyed hearing from you and sorry to hear that your classes are boring you.  I always appreciate hearing from Mardi's friends.

Wonder how Mike is doing with his classes and I hope his car isn't giving him too much trouble.  As yet, I have not received a letter from him, but I am sure when he gets good and ready he will write.

Guess what, Libby and Ellie are right here on the rug beside me.  Lately they have been staying in the house at night.  They are really good "poopies".  Libby seems much bigger.  When you come home for Xmas you will see.  Although, by then maybe they will be with Mardi and Marti on East Street.  They will be moving by the 15t6h of Nov.  I have been up to their home 3 times now painting and they sure have come quite away since the beginning -- two rooms and the hall upstairs has been painted and papered and tonite the man is papering the downstairs living room and sitting room.  Of course the whole downstairs was done from scratch, new wiring, new installation of new plaster boards and papering.  Now the new ceiling and light fixtures.  Then the kitchen completely new.  It will really be nice when it's all done.  They still have a lot to do yet; but the worst is all done.

Paul, I am telling you all this and you probably didn't even know that they had boughten a home.  I'm sure Mardi will tell you all about it when she writes you.  The home is on 407 East Street between 3rd and 4th Ave.

Well Paul we all have been real busy lately and with the holidays coming more so.

I'm hoping to see Mr. S the end of Nov or Dec.  He wanted to know how yo and Mike ere and what you both were doing now.

Think I'll put the dogs downstairs in the basement and go to bed, tomorrow is another.  I hope it doesn't rain.  It's rained all day yesterday and today.  Miserable weather!

Well be thinking of you and take good care of yourself and eat well.

P.S.  Don't let the goblins get you.  "Happy Halloween."

October 26, 1973 (Birthday card from Mardi)

Glad to get your address so I could get a card off to you.  Glad to see you haven't lost your artistic ability.  We are in an utter state of confusion here.  The man is wallpapering tonite though, so it's coming along.  Still 101 finishing touches.  We will be moving Tues and Wed.  Help!  Our bedroom and bath should be done and we can eat at Yolanda's.  Marti's little ass hasn't stopped once.  He'll never want to fix anything again.

Have a good day, wish we could have gotten together for yummy cake and ice cream.  Take care.  I'll drop a line later.  No time now!

October 24, 1973 (Letter from Leslie)

Happy birthday -- season's greetings!

I got your letter today and since I was going to send the card, I thought I would write a few lines to go along with i.

First a recipe for peanut butter:  I got it from The Old Farmer's Almanac in an article entitled "Peanut Butter and Jelly Recipes (and bread, too)".  So -- peanut butter:  to make 2 cups you will need 2 1/2 cups roasted (in or out of the shell), shelled peanuts.  If you shell them yourself, you will have to blanch them before use:  Blanch the nuts by placing them for a minute or so in boiling water, which will  loosen the skins for easy removal.  This step, of course, is not necessary if you use salted party peanuts, or dry roasted peanuts.  Grind the nuts to a meal in a grinder or electric blender.  If you use a blender, use grate speed first, then the "chop" speed.  Keep the cover on tightly, and do not grind more than 3/4 cups nuts at once or you will clog the blades.  Place the nut meal in a bowl and beat in 1/4 cup of water and 4-5 tablespoons peanut oil until the butter is smooth.  Salt to taste (1-2 teaspoons).  store in a closed jar in the refrigerator.

Now onto your letter.  I think the pictures on the folded blue paper are classy and have no comment on the trademark.  Thanks for the goodies on Blue Oyster Cult -- I'd love to see them again as I would appreciate them so much more now.

It does sound interesting about the para-professionals.  That's been a big point all along in librarianship -- is it really a profession?  What kind of status does it have?  What should we strive for?  Today the feeling of being an undergraduate swept over me -- that is school is bullshit and maybe I will learn something on the job.  Of course Albany's scope is supposedly theoretical so that we will have the background and will apply it to actual problems.   Yesterday I took the midterm to my Info Processing course -- ugh -- thought some of the questions were picky and how 'bout "What are two important facts about the following/"  Nobody in the two classes that have taken it are very happy.  At least there were no T/F question -- ID were brief answer questions.

Now onto records:  I bought Isley Brothers 3+3 and it's iffy -- the pressing is bad and I had to take one record back (something I hate doing) and that was annoying.  There are a few good numbers -- after "That Lady" I like "If You Were There" the best.  Also bought 3 records for 1 cent each - yeah.  I couldn't believe it.  One Ambergris has a huge chicken head in color on it and it stinks.  Another Soulful Strut by Young-Holt Unlimited is very uninspired -- at least the 1st side is -- hold on while I turn it over.  Well the other side is not much better.  The third album -- Rasputin's Stash is a nice surprise and the overall quality is better than that of the Isley's.



Tonight I went to K-mart to buy a soap container and saw 1 3/$1,00 pile and bought 4 records.  One -- Crazy World of Arthur Brown I have but bought for Mom.  Another Lacewing I've never heard of it but it reminded me a little of early Jefferson Airplane.  A likable album that will be played occasionally.  Another one by Fusion called Bordertown which I just put on which the 1st song sounded like country-rock.  So does the 2nd -- seems to move along.  Lots of slide guitar.  The other album is a group called Black Pearl -- I've seen the album before, but know nothing about it.

I've only heard LaBelle backing up Laura Nyro on It's Gonna Take a Miracle and thought they were classy.  I'm sorry your thought Blackbyrd was that bad.  Of course I heard it when I was stoned, which always colors music positive, but even so I did not think it was that bad.  The draggiest # was the 2nd song on the 1st side (I think, it's a real long song) but the rest of it had me rocking in my chair.  As for liner notes -- I haven't seen any album for quite awhile that had anything that passed for a liner note, so I'm dismissing that comment.  Anyway a difference in likes/dislikes is to be expected at least once in awhile.



I'd like to hear Pet Sounds sometimes.  The 2nd side of Fusion 2nd song, "Time of the Ostrick Head" is moving right along jazzy with a solo sax.  The last song 2nd side, "Ereous" is jazzy, too with lots of solo sax.  Will describe the other album later.

Funny about that liver.  I liked the peanut better and jelly so much on the sprouted wheat bread (love the bread) that I'm eating it quite a bit at home.  The steamed vegetables sound good.  I used to make my own spaghetti sauce in Buffalo from scratch -- it's quite easy -- and it does taste great -- everybody who makes it, makes theirs a little different than somebody else's.  Loved making a big batch and then cooking fresh spaghetti to go along with the sauce each time I ate.

Back to records for a minute -- my parastatic record preener has been acting up and instead or removing static it is making my records snap, crackle, and pop.

Well sweetie, tomorrow I'm going to Atlantic City and have to be in Albany at 6am which means 4am here so I have time to get myself together and I have to get my stuff together tonight.  I bought a pair of plaid corduroy baggies and black highheeled rubber soled clunkies to go with them. Even so they were so long, Nana had to shorten them for me.  Glad to hear the beard is doing well, I just love to run my fingers through your hair (all over your body ha ha).  Take care of yourself.